June 2023

Employee of the Month May

Edwin Rodriguez

Hello, my name is Edwin Rodriguez. I have been joyfully married to my beloved wife Sheena for three years and counting. Some of my pastimes include hiking, attending concerts, watching movies, going to comedy clubs, and exploring animal sanctuaries. Family is of utmost importance to me, as I am the eldest of five siblings, although I must confess that I am not the "Favorite Child". My wife and I are proud pet owners of two furry companions, Benny, an Italian Greyhound/Chihuahua mix, and Charlie, a Japanese Bobtail mix. I've been at DYS a short amount of time but I've learned so much, definitely still to learn more.

Edwin's nominator used the following words to describe him:

Reliable thoughtful thorough

willing understanding professional

Integration of EDI and Sanctuary

Fitzgerald Clark, DYS EDI Director

DYS is committed to equity diversity and inclusion, and to being a trauma responsive organization working towards creating a healthy environment for all of us here at DYS along with the youth and families we serve. These values are inextricably intertwined. As we develop our capacity to be trauma responsive, we also raise our potential to adhere to the values of equity, diversity and inclusion.

When we consider equity in action, a principle whose foundation is equality but that goes beyond to helping each person to get what they need to succeed, we realize that our Sanctuary values inevitably come into play. The interplay of social responsibility, based as it is on a commitment to social justice, along with our understanding of social learning, together weave a pattern of action where we see our commitment to each other’s success as a natural part of our individual and organizational goals.

In valuing the diversity that is a natural part of our state and DYS, we understandably draw upon our Sanctuary values of democracy, open communication, social responsibility, and growth and change. In responding to the seemingly constant whirlwinds of change that buttress all of us in our work, we realize that we can rely on the varied talents and diversity that our staff possess to come up with the unique and practical solutions that we require. The process of consultation and group decision making that we frequently utilize can only be manifested best when we practice democracy, open communication, and the shared social responsibility we have to each other and to the youth in our care.

Lastly, when we endeavor to create a culture of inclusion at all of our youth centers, regions and offices, we find that we must certainly rely upon all of our Sanctuary values of emotional intelligence, nonviolence, open communication, democracy, social learning, social responsibility and growth and change. Creating an inclusive environment requires us to care about the well-being of each other and to manifest emotional intelligence in our actions. Such a supportive and healthy environment can only be established where we practice nonviolence in all of its forms: physical, psychological, social and moral. Our shared social responsibility to treat each other with dignity and respect, the growth and change that we go through as we gain an appreciation for the differences and diversity amongst our colleagues and the youth, the social learning that inevitably takes place, the open communication done in an emotionally intelligent matter and our inclusive democratic approach to involving all who are impacted in the decision making process allows us to develop that culture where we each can feel, valued, respected and an integral part of our DYS community.

These values of equity, diversity, inclusion and commitment to being trauma responsive are more than just directives. They are a road map for creating a DYS where we can all be proud to work.

June Birthdays

Rashaun Esposito

Danielle Dyvig

Jack Sandoval

Commitment to Democracy- June Theme

Text courtesy of Elisa C. Hicks - MSW, MA, CJSP

NCCHC Coordinator, BHMS

The skills that are necessary for democratic participation - expressing oneself, deeply listening to others, conflict management, compromise, self-control, self-discipline, self-respect, and respect for others - are taught and modeled at various levels in any organization. Diversity of opinion is actively sought for the benefit of sharing different thoughts and experiences. Democratic leaders who know how to implement healthy group processes and who are able to creatively synthesize multiple viewpoints are treasured.

As a whole, democratic workplaces (and teams) experience an increase in healthy communication and sharing of information, more effective interaction and coordination, and an increase in innovation and creativity.

Some tips to keep in mind:

We all have a responsibility to act.

We all share in the decision making process.

We agree to support collaboration and consensus.

We know we may not get what we want, yet we will continue to support each other.

"However successful institutions may be in coming close to it, democracy itself - like justice, equality, and liberty - remains a critical standard against which all institutions may be measured". (Lummis)

Good at Gardening or Interior Design?

Join the Central Administration Garden Club or Calming Room Group. These teams will be planting flowers and maintaining our building foliage for everyone to enjoy outside of the building and creating our very own calming room inside to relax in.